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Start writing poetry, today

Join us in reading, writing, editing and translating poetry, in year-long courses, short courses, workshops, one-day sessions, seminars, tutorials and every variety of learning in between – in our classrooms, off site and online.

For more information and FAQs about how our courses work, please go to our In-Person Courses, Video Courses and Online Courses pages.

All our Courses

Friday Workshop with Natasha Hakimi Zapata

£220.00 *

Tutor: Natasha Hakimi Zapata

Friday Workshop with Natasha Hakimi Zapata

A weekly workshop for developing poets looking to improve their writing through feedback and close reading.

Start Date: May 16, 2025
End Date: July 18, 2025 ( 64 Days )
Type: Video

Sold Out!

Tutor: Kathryn Simmonds

Saturday Sessions with Kathryn Simmonds

Monthly all-day Saturday workshops with Kathryn Simmonds.

Start Date: May 24, 2025 11am–5pm
End Date: July 19, 2025 ( 57 Days )
Type: In-person • Location:

£5.00

Tutor: Nick Murray

Poetry School Playtime

Playful prompts, poetry games, pure fun. Join our next monthly play time session!

Start Date: May 29, 2025 5–6pm
End Date: May 29, 2025 ( 1 Day )
Type: Video

Queer Objects: Sidling Up to the Subconscious

£95.00 *

Tutor: Kat Dixon

Queer Objects: Sidling Up to the Subconscious

Peek at queerness out the corner of your eye and learn to write into your subconscious.

Start Date: June 3, 2025
End Date: June 17, 2025 ( 15 Days )
Type: Video

Antony Dunn Seminars – Summer Sessions 2025

£150.00 *

Tutor: Antony Dunn

Antony Dunn Seminars – Summer Sessions 2025

Extra Summer sessions of Antony Dunn's intimate monthly seminars.

Start Date: June 3, 2025 6.15pm
End Date: September 11, 2025 ( 101 Days )
Type: Seminar, Video

Around the Table: Writing about Food & Family

£130.00 *

Tutor: romalyn ante

Around the Table: Writing about Food & Family

Explore the poetic connections between food, family, love, and legacy.

Start Date: June 5, 2025
End Date: July 3, 2025 ( 29 Days )
Type: Video

Sold Out!

Tutor: Ellene Glenn Moore

The Poetics of Delight Studio

Writing the Pleasure of Observation, Commentary, and Awe.

Start Date: June 9, 2025
End Date: July 7, 2025 ( 29 Days )
Type: Online

Nothing to Write About? Breaking Writer's Block

£55.00 *

Tutor: Yanita Georgieva

Nothing to Write About? Breaking Writer's Block

Unsticking a stuck poet.

Start Date: June 14, 2025 10.30am
End Date: June 14, 2025 ( 1 Day )
Type: In-person • Location: The Bindery, London

Fourteen Lines, Myriad Methods: Experimental Sonnet Studio

£95.00 *

Tutor: James Davies

Fourteen Lines, Myriad Methods: Experimental Sonnet Studio

‘Doesn’t sound like no sonnet, my lord’

Start Date: June 19, 2025
End Date: July 17, 2025 ( 29 Days )
Type: Online

Sensorial Witnessing: An Exploration of Voice, Reading, Performance

Tutor: Sophie Seita

Sensorial Witnessing: An Exploration of Voice, Reading, Performance

Explore and experiment with your voice to develop new forms of embodied writing and performance.

Start Date: June 21, 2025 10.30am – 4.30pm
End Date: June 21, 2025 ( 1 Day )
Type: In-person • Location:

From Miniature to Global: Ecological Imaginaries Studio

Sold Out!

Tutor: Rachel Bower

From Miniature to Global: Ecological Imaginaries Studio

Close reading the word and the world.

Start Date: June 23, 2025
End Date: July 21, 2025 ( 29 Days )
Type: Online

Into The Woods: A Poetic Exploration of Stephen Sondheim

£55.00 *

Tutor: A.C. Smith

Into The Woods: A Poetic Exploration of Stephen Sondheim

'Into the woods without delay / But careful not to lose the way.'

Start Date: July 2, 2025 6.30–9pm
End Date: July 2, 2025 ( 1 Day )
Type: Video

Jaws at 50 (‘You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Class’)

£95.00 *

Tutor: Simon Barraclough

Jaws at 50 (‘You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Class’)

Fear and fantasy – exploring the wonder of Spielberg’s Jaws

Start Date: July 5, 2025 10.30am
End Date: July 5, 2025 ( 1 Day )
Type: In-person • Location:

£55.00 *

Tutor: Kaz Reeves

Voiced Up! Finding Your Poetic Voice

Challenge and choice in developing your voice.

Start Date: July 10, 2025 6.30-9pm
End Date: July 10, 2025 ( 1 Day )
Type: Video

£75.00 *

Tutor: Matthew Caley

Matthew Caley London Seminar

Extra Summer sessions of Matthew Caley's intimate monthly seminars.

Start Date: July 23, 2025 6.30pm
End Date: September 17, 2025 ( 57 Days )
Type: Seminar • Location:

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How it works

The Poetry School’s teaching year runs over three ‘terms’ – Autumn, Spring and Summer. Each term we offer around 40-50 courses and workshops that cater to a variety of levels, varying in length and subject matter. The course programme changes every term with more new courses, workshops and tutors, but often includes courses that run over three terms and popular repeats.

We offer both ‘classroom’ teaching (UK) and ‘virtual’ teaching (international). You can visit our In-Person Courses, Video Courses and Online Courses pages for more detailed information about course structures, process and what to expect.

Finding the right Course

Most of our courses and workshops accommodate writers with a wide range of experience, but some are specifically designed for beginners or more practicised poets.

Here are our definitions:

Beginner – Learning the ropes: beginning to write poetry.
Intermediate – Starting to develop your voice, generate more work and grow confident on the page.
Advanced – Able to confidently edit, hone, discuss and critique your poetry.

Our programme is developed around these three teaching levels, although we also offer many courses that are Open to all – courses aimed at all levels, often focusing on a specific theme or inspirational subject matter.

FAQ

How many courses can I take?

To ensure the best experience, we recommend taking no more than two courses per term. If you are interested in signing up to more, please email us at [email protected] to discuss the different course schedules.

What is poetry?

There is no one answer, and many, many people have their own ideas. Here are some definitions we like:

‘Literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm’ – OED

‘Poetry is a heightened imagistic use of language that does things to the heart and head’ – Grace Nichols

‘A made thing, a verbal construct, an event in language’ – Edward Hirsch

‘Poetry is memorable speech’ – W H Auden

‘Poetry does not explain life. It gives life to feeling and seeing’ – Sarah Stetie

‘Why, Sir, it is much easier to say what it is not’ – Samuel Johnson

I’m already publishing and performing poetry – what can you do to help me?

We have an expanding programme of projects and activities which seek to address the continuing professional development needs of practising poets, from residencies to enhanced publishing, editing and performance opportunities and beyond. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest details.

Will the Poetry School help me become a poet?

Since 1997, when the Poetry School was founded, our students have gone on to publish in magazines and online; they've produced pamphlets and books as poets and editors with publishers from the smallest independents to the largest commercial houses; they've won multiple prizes and awards; they've become poetry tutors themselves; they've moved on to take poetry MAs and PhDs.; they’ve set up performance nights, magazines, shows and events. While we can't guarantee that all students will go on to get published; serious engagement with the art and craft of poetry in the company of tutors and fellow students who are as passionate about the form as you are can only ever improve your chances of getting your work out to a wider audience.

Join us in reading, writing, editing and translating poetry, in year-long courses, short courses, workshops, one-day sessions, seminars, tutorials and every variety of learning in between – in our classrooms, off site and online.

All our Courses

Find a Course

How it works

Finding the right Course

FAQ

How many courses can I take?

What is poetry?

I’m already publishing and performing poetry – what can you do to help me?

Will the Poetry School help me become a poet?